Putah Creek landlocked steelhead above Berryessa
Anybody fished Putah Cr for landlocked steelhead ABOVE Berryessa and below Hwy 29 east of Middletown? I was invited to fish by a landowner who does not flyfish. I assume the fish are small and the creek is like Putah Cr below Berryessa or where it crosses Hwy 29, so a 9ft 5wt is adequate.
What rigs and bugs? Swing comets or soft hackles...or drift nymphs under bobbers? What bugs?
yes the regs have changed
First for Mike B.
Yep. Regs are different.
As I understand it the controlling reg for Putah above Berryessa
would be this section:
(2) All inland streams, rivers, and canals, except
those listed in Section 7.50(b), are open to fishing
from the last Sat. in Apr. through Nov. 15, with a five
trout daily bag limit, and ten trout possession limit,
with no gear restrictions. From Nov. 16 through the
Fri. preceding the last Sat. in Apr., a zero trout bag
limit applies, and only artificial lures with barbless
hooks may be used. In waters where the
bag limit for trout is zero, trout must be released
unharmed, and should not be removed from the
water.
(3) Exceptions:
(A) All waters in Section 7.50(b), Alphabetical List
of Trout Waters with Special Fishing Regulations,
are those having regulations different from the
General Statewide Regulations for trout.
(B) Brook Trout bag and possession limits may be
taken in addition to the statewide trout daily bag
and possession limits. See Section 5.84.
Note that this is the general state-wide regulation.
What this means is that every stream in the state that is not listed by name in the special reg tables
and is not an anadromous waterway is most likely now open year-round.
I do not insist I am right on this piece of water cause I just did a quick look at the Regs,
but this is what I think is right. (assuming the water in question is in the Valley district).
More to the point for Sonoman
Man, Private access, cool! go for it.
Just watch for Redd's and avoid. Also watch for pairs of fish sitting in unusually shallow spots on gravel
(spawning pair).
You will end up catching some spawning fish (it is unavoidable) but you can minimize it by being careful of where you are fishing.
As far as actual fishing usual stuff should mostly work, but I have fished the Lake run rainbows here on the Sac for years and I find that they like swung streamers (black bunny leaches ) more that the stream resident fish,
also by fishing down and across with a sink-tip I catch quite a few Bass.
You can fish the streamers in a regular floating line if necessary which also allows you to try other techniques.
IE: the usual stuff (nymphing and dry flys)
Think BWOs and Midges and LBS (Little Black Stuff*)
Other than that you will have to go and see. It all depends on what the water looks like.
*Family friendly version